8. Alabama’s Stand at the Schoolhouse Door (1963)
On June 11, 1963, Alabama Governor George Wallace stood in the doorway of Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama to block African American students Vivian Malone and James Hood from enrolling, openly defying federal desegregation orders. This act of resistance drew national attention and prompted President John F. Kennedy to federalize the Alabama National Guard to enforce the court’s decision, highlighting the ongoing tension between state and federal authority (history.com).
